
















































I 
















GRADED SUPPLEMENTARY READING SERIES 


CLASSIC FABLES 


SELECTED AND EDITED 
FOR PRIMARY GRADES 
BY 

EDNA HENRY LEE TURPIN 



NEW YORK 

MAYNARD, MERRILL, & CO. 


'^U 

c 


LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 


JAN 19 1904 



Copyright, 1904, 

BY 

MAYNARD, MERRILL, & CO. 


c i i < i i < 

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Nortocmti $resg 

J. S. Cushing & Co - Berwick & Smith Co. 
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 









PAGE 


1. The Sun and the North Wind 5 

2. The Cat and the Birds ... 7 

3. The Boys and the Frogs . . 8 

4. The Blind Man and the Lame 

Man 9 

5. The Cock and the Pearl . . 11 

6. Belling the Cat 12 

7. The Dove and the Bee ... 14 

8. The Dog in the Manger . . 15 

9. The Dove, the Woodpecker, 

and the Peacock .... 16 

10. The Ant and the Grasshopper. 

/Esop 17 

11. Sour Grapes. /Esop ... 19 

12. The Man and the Little Fish 21 

13. One Good Trick 22 

14. The Lion and the Mouse. 

/Esop 25 

15. The Dog that lost his Supper. 

y Esop 28 

16. The Boy who cried “ Wolf ” 29 

17. The Kid upon the Rock . . 32 

18. The Treasure in the Vine- 

yard. /Esop 32 

19. The Kid and the Wolf. /Esop 34 

20. The Dog and the Hare ... 36 

21. The Wolf and the Lamb. 

y Esop 36 

22. The Cat and the Mice ... 38 

23. The Trees and the Ax. /Esop 41 

24. The Old Dog. /Esop ... 42 

25. The Fox and the Lion. /Esop 42 

26. The Goose that laid Golden 

Eggs. /Esop 44 

27. The Old Lion. /Esop ... 46 

28. The Lark and her Young . . 48 

29. The Two Frogs 53 

30. The Fox and the Goat. /Esop 54 

31. The Thirsty Crow. /Esop . 57 

32. The Oak and the Reeds. 

/Esop 58 

33. The Field Mouse and the 

Town Mouse. /Esop . . 61 


PAGE 


34. The Fox that lost his Tail. 

La Fontaine 64 

35. The Fir Tree and the Bramble 67 

36. The Vain Jackdaw. /Esop . 67 

37. The Tortoise and the Eagle . 70 

38. The Hare and the Tortoise . 72 

39. The Donkey and the Grass- 

hopper. /Esop 76 

40. The Bundle of Sticks. /Esop 76 

41. The Crab and its Mother. 

/Esop 78 

42. The Farmer and the Stork. 

/Esop 79 

43. The Wolf and the Goat . . 80 

44. The Wolf with the Bone in 

his Throat. /Esop ... 81 

45. The Frog and the Ox. /Esop 83 

46. The Fox and the Stork. /Esop 85 

47. The Bees and the Drones . . 87 

48. The Stag at the Lake ... 89 

49. The Gourd and the Oak . . 91 

50. The Raven and the Swan . . 92 

51. The Wounded Eagle ... 93 

52. The Cowardly Bat. /Esop . 94 

53. The Man and the Lion ... 96 

54. How the Fox divided the 

Game 97 

55. The Two Pots 98 

56. The Lion’s Share 99 


57. The Wolf in the Sheep’s Skin 100 

58. The Oxen and the Axle Tree 102 

59. The Fox and the Crow. /Esop 102 

60. The Two Men and the Bear . 105 

61. The Bee that wished a Sting. 


/Esop 106 

62. The Cat’s Paws 107 

63. The Frogs and their King. 

/Esop 109 

64. Hercules and the Lazy Man . 113 

65. The Maid and her Milk Pail . 114 

66. The Man and the Satyr . . 115 

67. The Miller, his Son, and their 

Donkey 117 


3 


TO THE TEACHER 


This book of fables fulfills two essentials for primary reading 
books, — it gives much reading matter with a small vocabulary, 
and that reading matter is classic literature. It will commend 
itself especially to intelligent, progressive teachers, who think 
that from the first children should read the best literature. 

This volume comprises the best known of the classic fables. 
These fables are so frequently alluded to in conversation and in 
literature that every well-educated person should be familiar with 
them. To children they appeal as fascinating stories of the 
animal world. Men and women find under their merry guise 
shrewd truths, the embodied wisdom of centuries. 

For generations most of these fables were attributed to iEsop, 
a Phrygian slave, who lived in the sixth century before Christ. 
Some may have been composed by him ; many undoubtedly be- 
long to that period; others are of much later date, — one or two 
of the best belonging to the seventeenth-century French of La 
Fontaine. The best authorities have been consulted, and, for the 
teacher’s satisfaction, the iEsopian fables are indicated whenever 
possible. 

It is assumed that children who read this book have already 
acquired a vocabulary of about four hundred words. This vo- 
cabulary is printed on pages 121-123 for drill and reference. 
There are fewer than three new words to the page, and these new 
words — three to six in each fable — are found in the word list on 
pages 124-127. 

The illustrations in this hook are drawn by Percy J. Billinghurst and 
are reproduced from “A Hundred Fables of iEsop” by business arrange- 
ment with the publisher, Mr. John Lane. Mr. Billinghurst is also the 
illustrator of “A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine” and “A Hundred 
Anecdotes of Animals,” both published by Mr. John Lane. 


4 


CLASSIC FABLES 


1. The Sun and the North Wind 

“ How strong I am ! ” said the 
North Wind to the Sun. “I am 
stronger than you are.” 

“No,” said the Sun, “I am the 
stronger.” 6 

“You cannot make that great 
tree bend before you,” said the 
Wind. “I can do that. See it 
bend!” 

“And hear its leaves!” said the™ 
Sun. “ They say, ‘ Thank you, great 
Sun. Your light and heat give us 
life.’” 

“ I can blow away those leaves,” 


6 


CLASSIC FABLES 


said the Wind. “ I can blow the 
tree up by the roots.” 

“ But you cannot make it grow,” 
said the Sun. “It is I who do that.” 
5 The Wind could do great things. 
So could the Sun. Which of the 
two was the stronger? 

Just then a man came by. The 
morning was cool, and he had on 
10 a cloak. 

“ I see a way to end our quarrel,” 
said the Sun. “The one which can 
make that man take off his cloak 
is the stronger. You may begin.” 
is The North Wind began to blow. 
He blew and blew as hard as he 
could. But the more he blew, the 
more the man held his cloak. 

At last the Wind had to give up. 
20 “Now let me try,” said the Sun. 

He came out from behind a 


THE CAT AND THE BIRDS 7 

cloud, shining as bright as he could. 
Soon the man found his cloak too 
warm. He took it otf. 

So the Sun showed that gentle 
ways are better than rough ones, e 

2. The Cat and the Birds 

Ain old cat heard that the birds 
in a bird house were ill. 

“How is the time,” she said to 
herself, “for me to get a bird to 
eat.”' 10 

So she put on* a tall hat. She 
took a cane in one paw and a box 
of medicine in the other. 

Then she went to the bird house 
and knocked at the door. is 

“Who is there ? ” asked the birds. 

“It is I, the doctor,” said the cat, 
in a rough voice. “I heard that 
you are ill. So I have come to see 


8 


CLASSIC FABLES 


you. I bring some medicine to 
make you well.” 

“Your words are kind,” said an 
old bird, “but we see your paws. 
5 They are not those of a friend, and 
we do not wish to take medicine 
from them. We are more likely 
to get well without your help than 
with it.” 


3. The Boys and the Frogs 

io Oite day some boys went down 
to a pond. 

“ Croak ! croak ! ” they heard. 

They looked to see what was 
saying “ croak.” It was some frogs, 
is When they saw the boys, the frogs 
jumped into the water. 

“Let us throw stones at them,” 
said one of the boys. 

So they got some stones. When- 


BLIND MAN AND LAME MAN 


9 


ever a frog put his head above the 
water, they threw a stone at him. 
More than one poor frog was killed. 

“ Cro-ak ! cro-ak ! ” cried the 
frogs. “ Boys, boys ! Please do not 5 
throw stones at us.” 

“We do not wish to hurt you,” 
said the boys. “ W e are only play- 
ing.” 

“ It may be play to you,” said an 10 
old frog. “But it is death to 11s.” 

4. The Blind Man and the Lame Man 

A blind man was going down a 
road. As he could not see, he was 
feeling his way with a cane. 

Just then a lame man came hob- 15 
bling by. 

“You do not go very fast, friend,” 
he said. 

“Ao,” said the poor blind man. 


10 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“ I am blind. I am trying to go to 
town, but it is hard work. I can- 
not find the way.” 

“ I, too, am trying to go to town,” 
5 said the lame man. u But I am 
lame. It is hard for me to hobble 
down the road.” 

“ Can we not help each other ? ” 
asked the blind man. 11 1 will carry 
io you if you will tell me which way 
to go.” 

“ Good ! ” said the lame man. u I 
will be eyes for you if you will be 
feet for me.” 

is “ Up with you, then,” said the 
blind man. 

He took the lame man on his 
back. 

By helping each other, they came 
20 safe to town. 


THE COCK AND THE PEARL 


11 


5. The Cock and the Pearl 

A hungry cock was one day look- 
ing for food. He found something 
which he thought was a grain of 
corn. 

“ Here is food at last,” he cried, s 

But what he had found was not 
corn. It was a pearl, large and 
beautiful. The cock let it fall to 
the ground. 

u That is a pretty pearl,” he said, w 
“ A man would like to have it. But 
it is of no use to me. One good 
grain of corn is worth more to me 
than all the pearls on earth ” 

6. Belling the Cat 

Once upon a time some mice is 
lived in great fear of a cat. If 
they came from their holes, her 
paws were upon them. 



THE ■ COCK AND THE- JEWEL. 






BELLING THE CAT 


13 


One night all the mice met 
together. They wished to plan 
some way to keep the cat from 
catching them. 

“We want something to tell us 
when she is coming,” said one of 
the mice. “Her paws are so soft 
that we cannot hear her.” 

Up rose a young mouse. 

“ Let us hang a bell round her 
neck,” he said. “ It will tell us 
when she is coming. Then we 
can run and hide.” 

“ Good, good, good ! ” said the 
other mice. Some of the young 
ones ran to find a bell. 

But an old mouse said, “ The 
plan is good. But who will carry 
it out ? Who will hang the bell 
round the cat’s neck ? ” 

Not a mouse had a word to say. 


5 

10 

15 


20 


14 


CLASSIC FABLES 


Wot one of them all would do it. 

- So to this day the cat goes with- 
out a bell. 

7. The Dove and the Bee 

Ojste day a bee fell into the water, 
e She could not fly out, and she did 
not know how to swim. 

Poor little bee ! Was she to be 
drowned? Wo. Help was at 
hand. 

io A dove saw her fall. He threw 
a leaf to her in the water. 

The bee got upon the leaf and 
came safe to land. 

“ Thank you, kind dove, for help- 
wing me,” she said. 

Hear how the bee in turn helped 
the bird. 

One day the dove was making 
his nest. He flew here and there 


THE DOG IN THE MANGER 


15 


to get leaves and hay. He did 
not see a boy coming. 

“ That bird will be good to eat,” 
said the boy to himself. “I will 
kill it.” And he took aim at the 5 
dove. 

The little bee saw the danger of 
her friend. Buzz, buzz ! she hew 
to help. 

Just as the boy took aim, sheio 
stung him. He jumped and missed 
his aim. 

Thanks to the bee, the kind dove 
was safe. 


8. The Dog in the Manger 

A cross dog got into a manger 15 
full of hay. There he lay snarling 
at all who came near. 

After a while an ox came in. 
He had been hard at work all the 


16 


CLASSIC FABLES 


morning. Now lie wished to eat 
the hay. It had been put in the 
manger for him. 

“ Bow-wow ! bow-wow- wow ! ” 
5 said the cross dog. He snarled and 
would not let the ox come near. 

“Are you hungry?” asked the 
ox. “Are you going to eat that 
hay ? ” 

10 “No, I am not hungry,” snarled 
the dog. “When I am, I do not 
eat hay. But you shall not have it.” 

“What a cross, selfish dog you 
are!” said the ox. “You cannot 
is eat the hay. Yet you will not let 
those eat it who can.” 

9. The Dove, the Woodpecker, and the Peacock 

Oxce upon a time a dove and a 
woodpecker went to see a peacock. 

“ How vain the peacock is ! ” said 


THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER 17 

the woodpecker when they came 
away. “ 1 do not see why he is so 
vain. His voice is not pleasant and 
his feet are not pretty.” 

“ I did not think of his feet and 5 
his voice,” said the gentle dove. 

“ I was looking at his feathers. I 
was watching them shine with many 
colors. How beautiful they are ! ” 


10. The Ant and the Grasshopper 

One summer day a grasshopper 10 
met an ant. She was carrying food 
to her nest. 

“ Hood day, friend ant,” said the 
grasshopper. “Why are you at 
work this pleasant day ? I have 15 
been dancing and singing all day 
long. Will you not come and play 
with me ? ” 

“No, thank you,” said the ant. 


18 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“ I must lay up food for winter. If 
you play all summer, what will you 
do when winter comes ? ” 

“ Oh, winter is still far off,” said 
6 the grasshopper. 

Away he went, singing and danc- 
ing. 

Summer and fall passed. Winter 
came. There was an end to the 
10 work of the ant and to the play of 
the grasshopper. The ant had her 
house full of food. The poor grass- 
hopper had nothing to eat. 

He went to her home, 
is “ Please, dear ant,” he said, “ give 
me something to eat.” 

“ Ho,” said the ant, “ I have no 
food to spare. You sang all sum- 
mer when I was at work. How 
20 you may go and dance.” 

Those who do not work when 


SOUR GRAPES 


19 


times are good must want when 
times are bad. 

11. Sour Grapes 

A hungry fox came to a grape- 
vine growing round a tree. On it 
were beautiful ripe grapes. s 

u How good they look ! ” said the 
fox. u I will have some.” 

Up he jumped. But he could 
not reach one grape. Again and 
again he jumped. It was all imo 
vain. 

There hung the grapes but not 
for him. Jump as he would, not 
one could he reach. 

At last he went away. 

“I will not have those grapes,” 
he said. u I am sure they are sour. 
I’ll leave them for the greedy birds 
to eat.” 


15 



THETOX AND THE 'GRAPES. 












THE MAN AND THE LITTLE FISH 21 
12. The Man and the Little Fish 

A main threw his net into a 
river. When he drew it out, it 
held only one fish. That one was 
very small. 

The little fish began to beg for 5 
its life. 

“ Please let me go,” it said to 
the man. “ I am too small to be 
worth much now. Maybe you 
will catch me when I am large. 10 
How much more I will be worth 
to you then ! ” 

But the man said : “ Oh, no ! I 
will not let you go. True, you 
are small. But you are better^ 
than nothing. You might grow 
wise and not come again into my 
net. A small fish in my net is 
worth more than a large one in 
the river.” 


20 


22 


CLASSIC FABLES 


13. One Good Trick 

Oxce a cat and a fox were talk- 
ing together. 

“I am a great hunter,” said the 
fox. 

6 “So I hear,” said the cat. “They 
say, too, that men sometimes hunt 
you. What do you do when they 
run you with their dogs ? ” 

“ Oh, it is not hard for me to get 
w away,” said the fox. “Why, I 
have more than a hundred tricks. 
If one will not do, I try another. 
How many tricks do you know, 
Mrs. Pussy Cat?” 

15 “ One,” said the cat. “ I know 

only one. If that fails, I am a 
lost cat.” 

“ Poor Mrs. Pussy ! ” said the 
fox. “ I should like to teach you 



THE CAT andTHETOX. 






24 


CLASSIC FABLES 


some of my tricks, but that would 
not do. You know, we must each 
look out for himself.” 

Just then the cry of the hunters 
s was heard. Up came the dogs. 

The cat ran up a tree. There 
she sat safe where the dogs could 
not reach her. This was her one 
trick. 

10 From the tree she watched the 
fox. He ran this way and that 
way. He turned and turned again. 
He tried one trick after another, 
but all in vain. He was caught 
is and killed at last. 

“ Oh,” said the cat. “ I see it is 
better to know one good trick than 
a hundred poor ones.” 


THE LION AND THE MOUSE 


25 


14. The Lion and the Mouse 

One summer clay a lion was sleep- 
ing in his den. He was waked by 
a mouse which ran over his paw. 
The great beast caught it and was 
going to kill it. 6 

“ Do not kill me, Mr. Lion,” 
begged the poor little mouse. 
“Spare my life. Some day I may 
do you a good turn.” 

The old lion laughed. 10 

“You do me a good turn!” he 
said. “ What can a little mouse 
ever do for a great lion ? But go, 

I will spare your life.” 

“ Thank you,” said the mouse. 15 
Away she ran. 

Not long after this, the lion ran 
into a net which had been set by 
some hunters. He tried to get 


26 


CLASSIC FABLES 


away, but in vain. He roared and 
roared. 

The other beasts said, “ The lion 
is caught in the net,” and went 
5 their ways. 

But one friend came to his help. 
It was the mouse that he had 
spared. 

Without a word she set to work 
10 with her sharp teeth, and cut a 
rope in two. Then she cut an- 
other and another. At last the lion 
was free. 

“ Thank you, little friend,” said 
15 the great beast. “ You have saved 
my life.” 

“ Oh,” said the mouse, “ you 
spared my life and I was glad to 
help you. You laughed when I 
20 said, ‘Some day I may do you a 
good turn.’ How you see that, 













28 


CLASSIC FABLES 


after all, a little mouse may help 
a great lion. No friend is too 
small to be of use.” 

15. The Dog that lost his Supper 

A dog was carrying home a 
5 piece of meat in his mouth. On 
the way he came to a river. 

He looked down into the water. 
There he saw himself, as in a look- 
ing-glass. 

io But he did not know that it was 
himself. He thought that it was 
another d’og with another piece of 
meat. 

u I will take it from him. Then 
is what a fine supper I shall have ! ” 
thought this greedy dog. 

So he snapped at the meat in 
the water. 

When he opened his mouth, out 


THE BOY WHO CRIED “WOLE! 


29 


fell his piece of meat. Down, down 
it went, deep into the river. 

Now lie could not see in the 
water the dog with the meat. And 
he himself had lost his supper. 


16. The Boy who cried “Wolf!” 

Once a boy was put to take care 
of some sheep. He was to keep 
them in the field and not let the 
wolf get them. 

Some men were at work not fano 
otf. 

“ If you see the wolf coming,” 
they said, “ call as loud as you can. 
We will come and kill it.” 

The boy watched the sheep some 15 
time. No wolf came. 

One day he said to himself, “I 
will have some fun. I will make 


30 


CLASSIC FABLES 


the men think that the wolf is here. 
How they will run ! ” 

So he called out, “Wolf! wolf!” 
as loud as he could, 
e The men heard him and they all 
ran to the field. 

“Where is the wolf?” they 
asked. 

The boy laughed and said, “ The 
10 wolf has not been here. I called 
for fun.” 

It was no fun for the men. They 
went quarreling back to their 
work. 

is The next day the boy called, 
“Wolf, wolf!” as before. 

Some, but not all, of the men 
went to his help. They found the 
sheep eating grass and the little 
20 lambs playing about. 

The boy was sitting under a tree. 




THE BOY WHO CRIED “WOLF! 


31 


“ Oh ! ” he said, laughing, “ I called 
1 wolf ’ just for fun.” 

The next day he cried again, 
“Wolf! wolf!” 

This time only one or two of the s 
men went to the field. As before, 
no wolf was there. 

But at last the wolf did come. 

“Wolf! wolf!” called the boy 
as loud as he could. “ Help ! help ! io 
he has my lamb, my dear little 
lamb. The wolf, the wolf! ” 

But no one came to his help. 
The men heard him call. But they 
said, “He is only in fun,” and went is 
on with their work. 

The boy had called “wolf” too 
often when there was no wolf. 

Who can believe a boy who does 
not tell the truth ? 


20 


32 


CLASSIC FABLES 


17. The Kid upon the Rock 

A little kid was once standing 
upon a high rock. It saw a wolf 
passing below. It began to abuse 
him as loud as it could. 

5 The wolf looked up and said, 
“ Silly thing ! Say what you please 
up there. I know that you would 
not talk so if you were down here. 
It is not you who abuses me, but 
io the rock upon which you stand.” 

18. The Treasure in the Vineyard 

There was once a man who was 
very ill. 

He had three sons. They were 
young, and their father feared they 
is would not work as he had done. 

So he called them to him. 

“ My sons,” he said, “ I have not 


THE TREASURE IN THE VINEYARD 33 

long to live. I am leaving you 
three all my treasure. It is in 
the vineyard.” 

He said no more. 

His sons thought, “ He has put 5 
gold and other treasures in the 
vineyard.” 

After his death, they set to work 
with spades and plows. Over and 
over again, they plowed and spaded 10 
the vineyard. 

They found no gold nor treasures 
of any kind. But, thanks to their 
work, the vineyard had more grapes 
that year than ever before. 15 

It made up to them for all their 
hard work. 

This was their father’s treasure. 


34 


CLASSIC FABLES 


19. The Kid and the Wolf 

A little kid had strayed from 
its mother 

Now it was trying to find its way 
home. 

e Out in the woods it met a wolf 
— a great hungry wolf. He had 
sharp teeth and big, strong paws. 

“ I am going to eat you,” he said 
to the kid. “Have you anything 
io to say before I do ? ” 

“ I know that it is no use to beg 
for my life,” said the poor kid. 
“But I have one thing to ask. I 
have heard that you make good 
io mu sic. Before you eat me, will 
you play me one tune? I have 
had many a dance in my little life. 
Let me have one more.” 

“You shall have one tune,” said 


THE KID AND THE WOLF 85 

the wolf. “Then I will have my 
dinner.” 

So he played a tune. The kid 
danced his best. After a while 
the wolf stopped. 6 

“Now it is dinner time,” he said. 

“ One more tune — only one 
more,” said the little kid. “You 
play so well, so very well. I could 
dance all day to such music.” 10 

So the wolf played again, and 
again the kid danced. By this time 
the dogs heard the music. They 
came to see what was going on. 

The wolf had to run away as fastis 
as he could go. Home went the 
little kid to its mother. 

“ I have lost my dinner,” said the 
wolf, “ and it is but just. My work 
is to kill. I should not have stopped 20 
to play.” 


36 


CLASSIC FABLES 


20. The Dog and the Hare 

A dog one day ran after a hare. 
But he could not catch her. Back 
he came to his master. 

“ What ! ” said his master, “ do 
5 you let that little thing beat you 
running ? ” 

“ Oh, master ! ” said the dog, 
“think of the prize which each 
of us had before him ! I was run- 
ioning for a dinner. She was running 
for her life. Do you wonder that 
she beat me ? ” 


21. The Wolf and the Lamb 

One day a wolf was drinking 
from a brook. He saw a stray 
is lamb not far away. He made up 
his mind to eat it, but he wished 
some excuse for doing so. 


THE WOLF AND THE LAMB 


37 


So lie ran to her, saying, in a loud 
voice, “ Is this your brook ? Why 
are you making the water so muddy 
that I cannot drink it ? ” 

“If you please, Mr. Wolf,” said 
the lamb, “ I am not making it 
muddy where you are. See, you 
are above me in the brook. The 
water runs from you to me, not 
from me to you.” 

“ Be that as it may,” said the 
wolf, “ you are the lamb that spoke 
ill of me last year.” 

“ Oh, no ! ” said the poor little 
lamb in great fear. “ It was some 
other lamb and not I. I am not 
yet a year old.” 

“ Oh ! then it was your brother.” 

“ But I have no brother, Mr. 
Wolf.” 

“Well,” said the wolf, “it was 


5 

10 

15 


20 


38 


CLASSIC FABLES 


your father or some of your friends. 
That is the same thing. It is no 
use for you to make excuses. I 
am going to eat you anyway.” 
s And so he did. 

22. The Cat and the Mice 

Oxce upon a time a house was 
full of mice. A cat came to make 
her home there. 

At first she could catch the mice. 
io But by and by they began to keep 
out of reach of her paws. They 
stayed in their holes. 

“ This will never do,” thought 
the cat. “ I want my supper. I 
is must find some way to get those 
mice.” 

So she hung by her paws from 
a peg. 

“ Some one has hanged old Mrs. 







40 


CLASSIC FABLES 


Pussy Cat,” the mice said, and they 
came out from their holes. 

Down jumped the cat among 
them. She caught more than one 

5 before they could get away. 

Pleased with this trick, she tried 
another. She made herself white 
with flour and lay still among some 
bags. 

10 “ She is so still that she must be 

dead,” said a young mouse. “ Can 
we not get some of that flour ? ” 
But an old mouse looked out 
from the hole. 

is u Oh, no, Mrs. Pussy Cat ! ” she 
said. “ I do not trust you. If you 
turn into a flour bag, I will not 
come near your paws.” 


THE TREES AND THE AX 


41 


23. The Trees and the Ax 

A man came into the woods. 

“ Oh, trees ! ” he said, “ please 
give me a handle for my ax.” 

“That is a little thing to ask,” 
thought the trees. They said : 5 
“ That ash tree is small and young. 
You may have it.” 

So the man took it and made a 
handle. 

Then he began to use his ax. 10 
Blow after blow — a great tree 
came to the ground. One after one 
the tall strong trees were cut down. 

“ Oh ! ” said the oak. “We gave 
up the rights of the little ash tree. 15 
Had we not done this, we might 
have stood safe. In giving up the 
rights of another, we gave a handle 
to be used against us.” 


42 


CLASSIC FABLES 


24. The Old Dog 

A max had a dog which had led 
the hunt many a day. But now he 
was old. He could not run fast 
and his teeth were giving way. 

5 One day he was in the field with 
his master. He caught a hare but 
he could not hold her. His master 
beat him for letting her get away. 

“ Master,” said the poor old dog, 
io “as long as I could, I caught and 
held your game. To-day it is 
power and not will which I want. 
Ho not beat me for what I am. Be 
kind to me for the sake of what I 
i6 was.” 


25. The Fox and the Lion 

“Wiiat is the lion, mother?” 
asked a little fox. It had never 
seen one. 


THE FOX AND THE LION 43 

“ The lion is the king of beasts, 
my child,” said the mother. “ He 
is great and strong. With one 
blow of his paw he can kill a 
man.” 

From that day the little fox was 
in great fear of the lion. 

One day it was at play in the 
woods. It heard a roar — the roar 
of a great lion. On he came down 
the path. 

The little fox was so frightened 
that it got behind a tree. 

u What a fearful beast ! ” it 
thought. “ How he roars and 
beats the earth ! I would not go 
near him for the world.” 

The next day the fox was again 
in the woods. Again the lion came 
by. The fox was frightened, but 
not so much as before. 


5 

10 

15 

20 


44 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“The lion is great and strong,” 
it said. “But he did not try to 
harm me before. This time I will 
not run away.” 

5 So it did not hide. It walked 
on down the path. 

Once again it was in the woods 
and the lion came. This time it 
was not frightened at all. 

10 “ There is that lion again,” it said. 

“I wonder why he roars so loud. 
I will ask him.” 

So it went up to the great beast 
and said, “ Mr. Lion, why are you 
is roaring so ? ” 

26. The Goose that laid Golden Eggs 

A man once had a wonderful 
goose. She laid every day a golden 
egg. 

Just think of that ! Each day 



THE*MAN and his GOOSE! 












46 


CLASSIC FABLES 


the man had an egg of shining gold. 
He was getting rich, but not so fast 
as he wished. 

“ My goose must have much gold 
6 inside,” he said to himself. “ If she 
did not, she could not lay golden 
eggs. I will kill her and get all 
the gold at once.” 

So one day he killed the goose 
10 and cut her open. Did he find 
much gold inside ? No. He found 
none at all. Now she was dead 
and he could get no more golden 
eggs. 

is By being greedy he lost all he 
had without getting the riches he 
wished. 


27. The Old Lion 

Once upon a time a lion lived in 
a den. When he was young, he 


THE OLD LION 


47 


went out in the woods and hunted 
for food. 

But he grew old. His teeth 
were not sharp and he could not 
run fast. He could no longer live 5 
by hunting. 

How was he to get food ? This 
is the way he took. 

He lay still in his den and spoke 
in a low voice. 10 

“The old lion is very ill,” said 
the other beasts. “ He cannot hurt 
us now. Let us go into his den to 
see him.” 

A wolf went in but the wolf never 15 
came out. The old lion ate him up. 

A dog went in but the dog never 
came out. The old lion ate him up. 

A hare went in but the hare 
never came out. The old lion ate 20 
him up. 


48 


CLASSIC FABLES 


By and by came a fox. He stood 
at the mouth of the den and asked, 
“ How are you to-day, Mr. Lion ? ” 

“ Come in, come in and see,” said 
stlie lion. “ Why do you stand so 
far away ? ” 

The fox did not say one word. 
He stood looking at the ground. 

“Walk in, friend fox,” said the 
10 lion again. 

“ Ah ! no, thank you,” said the 
fox. “ I see many footprints going 
into your den. I do not see the 
prints of any feet that have come 
is out. Such a path is not safe.” 

28. The Lark and her Young 

A lark made her nest in a wheat 
field. There she laid her eggs. 
Soon she had a nest full of little 
larks. 





50 


CLASSIC FABLES 


How hard the mother bird had 
to work ! She flew here and there 
to get food for her hungry young 
ones. 

s Every day they grew larger and 
stronger. The wheat, too, was 
growing every day. Soon it would 
be ripe. Then the men would 
come to cut it. 

10 Each morning the mother lark 
said : “ Listen to all that is said in 
the field to-day, my dears. When 
I come home, tell me what you 
have heard.” 

i 6 One night she found her little 
ones in great fear. 

u Mother, mother ! ” they chirped. 
“ The farmer came here to-day with 
his son. He says this wheat is ripe. 

20 He sent for his friends to come to- 
morrow and help cut it. We can- 


THE LARK AND HER YOUNG 


51 


not fly. W e shall be caught ! W e 
shall be killed ! ” 

“ Do not be frightened,” said the 
wise old lark. “You are still safe. 
If the farmer trusts to his friends, a 
the grain will not be cut to-morrow. 
Eat your supper and be still.” 

The next morning she said : 
“Watch for the farmer to-day, my 
dears. Be sure to tell me what lieio 
says.” 

Then away she flew for food. 

When she came back, her little 
ones chirped : “ Mother, the farmer 
has been here again. He stayed aw 
long time, but his friends did not 
come. He sent his son to ask his 
cousins to come to-morrow. What 
shall we do ? ” 

“We may stay here a while 20 
longer,” said the mother lark. 


52 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“ His friends did not come to- 
day. Nor will his cousins come 
to-morrow. They have their own 
work on their hands. Sleep now 
6 and do not fear.” 

The next morning she again flew 
away to get food. But first she 
said, “ Do not fail to tell me all you 
hear to-day.” 

10 That night the young larks 
chirped : u Mother, the farmer was 
here again this morning with 
his son. But none of his cousins 
came.” 

is u What did he say ? ” asked the 
old lark. 

“ He said : 1 Son, we will not trust 
to others any longer. The best 
way to get a thing done is to do it 
20 oneself. You and I will come to- 
morrow and cut this wheat.’ ” 


THE TWO FROGS 


53 


“ Oh ! now we must go,” said the 
mother lark. “ When a man takes 
his work in his own hands, it is sure 
to be done. In the morning you 
must try your wings, and we will 5 
leave this field.” 

The next morning the little larks 
tried their wings. They flew to 
the end of the field. There they 
saw the farmer and his son. They 10 
were working with a will. 

That night the wheat was all cut. 

Self-help is the best help. 


29. The Two Frogs 

Two frogs once lived in the same 
pond. There came a warm sum- 15 
mer and all the water was dried up. 

So the frogs left that pond and 
set out to find a new home. They 
came to a deep well. 


54 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“ Here is water at last,” said one. 
“ Let us leap in and make this our 
home.” 

“Stay awhile,” said the other 
5 frog. “ Let us look before we leap. 
This well is very deep. What if 
the water in it should fail ? How 
could we get out ? Let us not go 
into a place from which we see no 
10 way to come out.” 

30. The Fox and the Goat 

The wise frog looked before he 
leaped. Let me tell you about a 
silly goat that leaped before she 
looked. 

i 5 A fox one day fell into a well. 
The water was not very deep, but 
the walls were high. He tried in 
vain to get out. 

After a while a goat came to the 




56 


CLASSIC FABLES 


well. She thought the fox had 
gone down there to drink. 

“ Is that water good ? ” she asked. 

“ Good ! ” said the fox. “ It is 
6 the best water that ever I drank. 
Come down and try it.” 

Down jumped the silly goat. 

“ Drink all that you wish,” said 
the fox. 

10 He leaped upon the goat’s back, 
and so climbed out of the well. 
•The goat drank, and then she, too, 
tried to get out. But she could 
not climb the walls, 
is “ Come here, friend fox, and help 
me out,” she said. 

The fox only laughed. 

“Silly goat!” he said. “You 
should not have gone in till you 
20 saw a way to come out. One should 
always look before he leaps.” 


THE THIRSTY CROW 57 

Away ran the fox. The poor 
goat was left to get out when and 
how she could. 


31. The Thirsty Crow 

A grow was one day very thirsty. 
For a long time he looked in vain 5 
for water. 

At last he saw a pitcher which 
some men had left in a field. He 
flew to it, and found that it held 
water. 10 

But there was only a little in the 
pitcher and the mouth was small. 
The thirsty crow tried and tried to 
reach the water. All in vain. 

“If I break the pitcher, I may 15 
lose all the water,” he said to him- 
self. “ If I turn it over, then, too, it 
will be lost. What shall I do ? ” 


58 


CLASSIC FABLES 


He thought and thought. At 
last he thought of a way. 

He took up some small stones in 
his bill. These he dropped one by 
6 one into the pitcher. They made 
the water rise till he could reach it. 

He drank as much as he wished. 

“ Caw ! caw ! I thank my wits 
for saving my life,” he said as he 
10 flew away. 


32 . The Oak and the Reeds 

A great oak grew by a river. 
Its roots were deep in the earth, 
its branches were high in the air. 

“ How tall and strong I am ! ” 
is said the tree. “The wind may 
blow, but I stand fast. See the 
poor little reeds at my feet. They 
bend if the wind blows at all. 



CROWand THE- PITCHER. 




60 


CLASSIC FABLES 


If we have a storm, they will 
be laid low.” 

That night there was a storm. 
The wind came against the great 
soak. It tried to stand fast, but in 
vain. Down it came, root and 
branch. 

The next morning there it lay 
on the ground. The little reeds 
10 stood straight and tall. 

“ How is this ? ” asked the tree. 
“ I, the great strong oak, am laid 
low by the storm, while you, poor 
little reeds, are safe.” , 
is “We knew that . the wind is 
stronger than we are,” said the 
reeds. “ So we bent down and let 
it pass by. When it was gone, we 
rose safe. You did not give way 
20 to the wind. You would not bend 
and so you had to break.” 


FIELD MOUSE AND TOWN MOUSE 61 


33. The Field Mouse and the Town Mouse 

A field mouse asked a friend 
from town to come to see him. 
One pleasant day here came the 
friend. 

For dinner the field mouse had 5 
his best food. There were some 
roots and corn. The town mouse 
ate a little. 

Then he said, “My poor friend, 
why do you stay in this field ? 10 
Here you live in a hole in the 
ground. You have no better food 
than the ants. 

“How I live in a big house in 
town. I have all kinds of good is 
things to eat. Come and go home 
with me.” 

“ Thank you, that I will,” said the 
field mouse. 


62 


CLASSIC FABLES 


They set out to town together. 
When they got there, both were 
very hungry. 

“ Now for a feast ! ” said the town 
s mouse. 

He showed his friend a table set 
with food. There was bread and 
meat. Best of all, there was a 
piece of cheese. 

10 “You are right,” said the field 
mouse. “Your home is better far 
than mine. This is food for a 
king.” 

But they had not time to get 
is a bite of the cheese. The door 
opened, and in came a girl. The 
mice ran to hide in a hole. 

After awhile the girl went away. 
Out came the hungry mice. 

20 But before they got to the table 
the door opened again. Here came 


% 



THE COUNTRY MODSEand the C1TYM0USE 











64 


CLASSIC FABLES 


a boy with his dog. In great fear 
the poor, hungry mice ran again to 
hide. 

From their hole they watched 
6 the boy eat bread and meat and 
cheese. The sight made them 
more hungry than ever. 

“Well, friend,” said the field 
mouse at last, “ I am going bads to 
10 my home in the field. There I eat 
my corn and roots in peace. That 
is better than your good food in 
fear and danger.” 

34. The Fox that lost his Tail 

Oise day a fox ran into a trap, 
is At first it seemed that he would 
lose his life. 

At last he got out. But his tail 
was caught fast. The trap cut it 
off. 




THE FOX WITHOUT • A ■ TAIL $ 






66 


CLASSIC FABLES 


On his way home the fox thought 
how the others would laugh at 
him. 

“ A fox without a tail ! ” he said. 
«“ Who ever heard of such a one ? ” 

He went home and placed him- 
self with his back to a tree. 

“ Listen, friends,” he said. “ Of 
what use are our long, large tails ? 
10 If we creep through a hole, they 
hang behind. If we run from the 
hunter, they are behind us for the 
dogs to catch. Men kill us to get 
our tails. They do us more harm 
is than good. Let us cut them otf.” 

“You say well,” said some of the 
foxes. “Your plan is wise.” 

But a sly old fox looked well at 
him. 

20 Then he said : “ My friend, I see 
that you have lost your own tail. 


THE VAIN JACKDAW 


67 


That is why yon wish ns to be 
without ours. If you had yours 
on, I think you would not care so 
much to have ours off.” 

35. The Fir Tree and the Bramble 

A fir tree looked down on a 6 
bramble. 

“Poor thing!” he said. “You 
are good for nothing. I am tall and 
strong and much prized by men.” 

But the bramble said: “I amio 
content with my low place. See ! 
here comes a man with his ax to 
cut you down. Do you not wish 
that you were a bramble and not 
a fir tree ? ” 15 


36. The Vain Jackdaw 

A jackdaw one day found some 
feathers which a peacock had 
dropped. These he stuck under 


68 


CLASSIC FABLES 


his wings. Then he turned his 
back on the other jackdaws and 
went to the peacocks. 

11 1 am one of you,” he said. 

6 “ Ah, no ! You are no peacock,” 

said the peacocks. “ But these are 
our feathers.” 

They fell upon the vain jackdaw 
and pulled off their feathers one by 
io one. With them they pulled out 
many of his own. 

The jackdaw now went back to 
his old friends. But they drove 
him away. 

is “ Had you been true to us,” said 
one of them, “ we would have been 
true to you. But you tried to be a 
peacock when you were nothing but 
a jackdaw. Now neither jack- 
20 daws nor peacocks wish to have 
anything to do with you.” 






70 


CLASSIC FABLES 


37. The Tortoise and the Eagle 

A tortoise was one day creep- 
ing about in the sunshine. 

“ What a hard life is mine ! ” she 
said. “ I creep on the earth. The 
6 birds go here and there in the air. 
Oh ! I wish I could fly ! ” 

An eagle was passing and heard 
her wish. 

“What will you give me,” he 
io asked, “to teach you?” 

“ I will give you all my riches,” 
said the tortoise. 

“ Good,” said the eagle. “ I will 
take you in my claws and fly up 
is with you. Then you can fly down.” 

Up, high up, he flew among the 
clouds. 

“ Now,” said he, “ I will let you 
go. Fly down as I do.” 













72 


CLASSIC FABLES 


He let go the tortoise and came 
down on his broad wings. But 
the tortoise was not able to fly, for 
she had no wings. Down, down 
5 she fell to the earth and was al- 
most killed. 

“Ah!” she said. “Why did I 
not stay where I belonged? I 
was made to creep on the earth. 
10 What had I to do with wings and 
clouds ? ” 


38. The Hare and the Tortoise 

Yon have just heard about the 
silly tortoise that tried to fly. 

Now let me tell you about a 
is wise tortoise. She said to herself : 
“I was made to creep on the 
ground. So I will do that as well 
as I can and be content.” 


THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE 73 

One day she was plodding on. 
Up behind her ran a hare. 

He stopped and said: “Good 
morning, friend tortoise. How 
slow you are ! Ho you not wish 6 
you could run like me ? ” 

“ You can run fast, I know,” said 
the tortoise. “ But I think I could 
beat you in a race.” 

“Beat me in a race!” cried theio 
hare. “ You ! Just try and see.” 

“ Yery well,” said the tortoise. 

They called the fox to be judge 
of the race. 

“Start here,” he said. “Rums 
across those three fields to the 
great oak tree. Now, one, two, 
three, — go ! ” 

At the word both started. Away 
went the hare like the wind. On 20 
plodded the tortoise. 


74 


CLASSIC FABLES 


The hare ran across one field. 
Then he looked back. The tor- 
toise was not to be seen. 

“I’ll stop and get some of this 
6 sweet grass,” he said. “Then I’ll 
rest awhile. I have time enough 
and to spare. I wish triend tor- 
toise to see me win the race.” 

So he ate some grass, and lay 
10 down to rest. He fell asleep. 

When he waked, he looked up 
and down the road. No tortoise 
did he see. 

On he went to the oak tree, 
is There was the tortoise ! 

She had plodded on while he 
rested, and had passed him while 
he was sleeping. So she was first 
in the race. 

20 .“Ah, ah!” laughed the fox. 
“ Slow and steady wins in the end.” 




(THE HARE and THE TORTOISE 




76 


CLASSIC FABLES 


39. The Donkey and the Grasshopper 

A donkey heard a grasshopper 
chirping in a field. 

“ What sweet music ! ” he cried. 
“Would that I could sing like you, 
5 dear grasshopper ! What food gives 
you such a sweet voice ? ” 

“ I feed on the morning dew,” 
said the grasshopper. 

“ Then I, too, will live on dew,” 
io said the donkey. “ In time my 
voice will become like yours.” 

He left his food, and would drink 
only morning dew. But he died 
of hunger without ever learning to 
is chirp. 


40. The Bundle of Sticks 

A man had seven sons who 
quarreled much with one another. 
He often begged them to live in 


THE BUNDLE OF STICKS 


77 


peace. But his words did little 
good. 

One day he called his sons and 
showed them seven sticks tied to- 
gether. He handed this bundle to 
one of the boys. 

“ Break this, my son,” he said. 

The boy tried, but the bundle 
was too strong. He was not able 
to do so. 

Each of the others tried in turn, 
but each tried in vain. ISTot one 
was able to break it. 

“We will try another way,” said 
the father. “ I will untie the 
bundle.” 

He then gave the boys the sticks 
to break one by one. This was not 
hard to do. 

Then the father said : “ My sons, 
you are strong, like the sticks, 


5 

10 

! 15 

20 


78 


CLASSIC FABLES 


when you are together. But, like 
them, you are weak when each is 
by himself and for himself” 


41. The Crab and its Mother 

A crab said to her son : “ Why 
e do you walk so to one side, my 
dear? It looks far better to go 
straight forward.” 

“Well, mother,” said the young 
crab. “ If you will show me the 
io straight way, I will walk in it.” 

The mother tried to go straight 
forward. But she went first to the 
left, then to the right. At last she 
gave up. 

“ Ah ! ” said her son. “ When 
you learn to walk straight, you can 
teach me,” 


15 


THE FARMER AND THE STORK 79 


42. The Farmer and the Stork 

A farmer had wheat in a field. 
One day he set some nets there. 

u I will catch the cranes which 
come to eat my grain,” he said. 

The next morning he went to s 
look at his nets. There were some 
cranes, and with them was caught 
a stork. 

“ Ah, you thieves,” said the 
farmer, “ 1 am glad you are caught. 10 
Now I will kill you all.” 

“ Please do not kill me,” said the 
stork. u Cranes are thieves, I 
know. But look at my feathers. 
You can see that I am no crane, is 
I am a stork ; and storks, you know, 
are the best of birds.” 

“ All that you say may be true,” 
said the farmer. “ But this I know. 


80 


CLASSIC FABLES 


You have been caught with thieves, 
with thieves you must die.” 

43. The Wolf and the Goat 

One day a goat was feeding at 
the top of a high rock. 

6 Down below was a wolf. He 
wished to catch the goat for his 
dinner, but he could not climb the 
rock. 

So he called out: “My dear friend, 
io do not stand on that rock. I fear 
that you will fall. Why do you 
stay up there ? The grass down 
here is much better. Come down 
and feed here.” 

is “ Thank you, this grass is good 
enough for me,” said the goat. “ I 
will stay where I am. You ask me 
to come down for the sake of your 
dinner, not of mine.” 


THE WOLF WITH THE BONE 


81 


44. The Wolf with the Bone in his Throat 

A wolf was one day eating a 
lamb which he had killed. A bone 
stuck in his throat and gave him 
great pain. He ran howling through 
the woods. & 

“ Why do you howl so ? ” asked 
a crane. 

“ Dear friend,” said the wolf, 
u there is a bone stuck in my throat. 
It gives me great pain. Can you™ 
not get it out with your long bill ? ” 

He opened his mouth. What a 
great red throat he had ! What big 
sharp teeth ! The crane drew back. 

“ I do not wish to put my headw 
in a wolf’s mouth,” he thought. 

But the wolf said, “ Come, I am 
in great pain. I will pay you well.” 

So the crane put his head down 









THE FROG AND THE OX 


83 


the wolfs throat. With his long 
bill he pulled out the bone. 

“ Here is the bone,” he said. 

“ How, where is my pay ? ” 

“ Pay ! ” said the wolf. “ Was it 5 
not pay enough that I did not bite 
otf your head when it was in my 
mouth ? Be otf, or I will eat you 
now.” 

“Ah,” said the crane, running 10 
away, “I was a silly crane ever to 
trust a wolf.” 

45. The Frog and the Ox 

“ Oh, father,” said a young frog 
to an old one, “ I have just seen a 
great beast. It seemed as large as 15 
a house. It has a long tail, and 
it has horns on its head.” 

How the old frog was vain, and, 
as frogs go, he was large. 


84 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“ Why, son, that is only the 
farmer’s ox,” he said. “After all, 
he is not so very big. I can with 
ease make myself as large as he. 
a Watch me.” 

He took a deep breath and 
swelled himself up. 

“Now I am as large as he, am I 
not?” he asked. 

io “Oh, no, father! You are not 
near so large,” said his son. 

Again the old frog blew himself 
out. 

“Is the ox as large as I am 
io now?” he asked. 

“ Oh, yes, father ! He is larger, 
much larger.” 

“ See me now ! ” said the old 
frog. 

20 He blew and swelled and swelled 
and blew — till he burst. 


THE FOX AND THE STORK 


85 


46. The Fox and the Stork 

A rox one day asked a stork to 
dinner. He was a rude fox, and he 
wished to play a trick on her. So 
he had nothing to eat but soup. 
This was served in a shallow dish. 6 

The fox drank the soup with 
ease. The stork, with her long 
bill, could not drink from the shal- 
low dish. 

u Do eat, Mrs. Stork,” said the 10 
fox. u I fear you do not like this 
soup.” 

“ It seems very good,” said the 
stork. 

This was all that she said. Huti 5 
she was as hungry at the end of 
the dinner as when it began. 

A few days after, she asked the 
fox to dinner. 







THE BEES AND THE DRONES 87 

“ I shall be happy to come,” said 
the fox. 

He came, and dinner was served. 
It was meat cut into little pieces. 
It was put in a deep pitcher with 5 
a small mouth. 

The stork’s long bill could reach 
the meat. But the fox could get 
nothing at all. There he sat, cross 
and hungry. The stork laughed. 10 

11 1 think you like my dinner as 
much as I did yours,” she said. 

“ Oh, Mr. Fox, do not be cross. 
You should never do to others 
what you are not willing to have 15 
them do to you.” 

47. The Bees and the Drones 

Some bees made their nest in a 
hole in an oak tree. There they 
laid up much honey. 


CLASSIC FABLES 


While they worked, the lazy 
drones buzzed about in the sun- 
shine. When they were hungry, 
they wished to eat the honey. 

6 “ It is ours,” they said. 

“No, it is not yours; it is ours,” 
said the bees. 

At last they asked the wasp to 
judge between them. 

10 “It will be hard to show who 
made this honey,” he said. “ Bees 
are much like drones in size and 
color. Both bees and drones have 
been flying to and from this tree, 
is “Now let the bees work in one 
place and the drones in another. 
This honey shall belong to those 
who make some like it.” 

The bees set to work at once. 
20 From tree to flower, from flower to 
tree, they flew, making honey. The 


THE STAG AT THE LAKE 89 

drones buzzed about and did noth- 
ing. 

“ This shows who made the 
honey and who did not,” said the 
wasp. “ It belongs to the bees.” 5 

48. The Stag at the Lake 

A stag went down to a lake to 
drink. As he stood there, he 
looked at himself in the water. 

“How strong and beautiful are 
my horns ! ” he said. “ They are 10 
like branches of a tree above my 
head. But my legs are very ugly. 

I wish that they were as beautiful 
as my horns ! ” 

Just then a lion came up. He 15 
made a spring at the stag which 
he wished for his dinner. 

Off ran the stag. His legs would 
have carried him away safe, but he 



THESTAG LOOKING INToTHE'WVTER' 






THE GOURD AND THE OAK 


91 


caught his horns in the branches 
of a tree. 

Before he could get free, the 
lion came up and caught him. 

u Ah ! ” cried the stag. “ I 5 
should have prized use more than 
beauty. The legs which I thought 
so ugly would have saved me. But 
the horns of which I was so vain 
have brought me to my death.” 10 

49. The Gourd and the Oak 

A gourd vine grew near an oak 
tree. 

In the warm summer days the 
vine grew fast. It climbed around 
the oak. In a little while it reached 15 
the top of the tree. 

Then the silly gourd vine grew 
vain. 

11 My leaves are larger than 


92 


CLASSIC FABLES 


yours,” it said to the tree. “ I 
bear beautiful yellow flowers. 
Look, too, at my fruit. It is much 
larger than yours. 

5 “ And how much the faster I 

grow ! You have lived more years 
than I have days. Yet I am as tall 
as you.” 

“ That is true,” said the oak tree. 
io “ Every summer I see a gourd vine 
grow tall and vain, like you. Every 
winter I see it fall and die. 

“ Soon the frost will lay you low. 
I shall stand here tall and strong as 
is ever.” 


50. The Raven and the Swan 

A raven saw a swan on a lake., 
He thought her white feathers 
much more beautiful than his black 


ones. 


THE WOUNDED EAGLE 93 

“No wonder she is white,” he 
said, “for she washes her feathers 
every day. If I do the same, I 
think I shall become as white as 
she. I’ll try.” & 

So he left his nest in the woods. 
He made his home beside the lake. 
In its waters he washed his feathers 
from morning till night. 

But they stayed as black as ever. 10 
And he caught such a cold that he 
could hardly talk. 

“Croak, croak!” he said. “I’ll 
go back home to the woods. Black 
feathers are pretty enough for me. vs 
Croak, croak ! ” 

51. The Wounded Eagle 

A isr eagle was once flying through 
the air. A hunter took aim at him 
and shot him through the heart. 


94 


CLASSIC FABLES 


As he fell, he saw the arrow 
which had wounded him. It was 
winged with one of his own 
feathers. 

5 “ Ah!” he said. “This is a double 

pain. I must now die. My own 
wing feathered the arrow which 
kills me.” 


52. The Cowardly Bat 

Ostce upon a time there was a 
io fight between the birds and the 
beasts. 

All things that fly and all that 
walk took part but the bat. He 
stayed out of the fight and looked 
is on. 

At last he thought that the birds 
were about to win. He flew to join 
them. 

“ Go away,” said the birds. “You 


THE COWARDLY BAT 


95 


have not been fighting with ns. 
You are a beast. You are not a 
bird.” 

“Oh, yes ! I am a bird,” said the 
bat. “ Just look at my wings.” s 

But the beasts again began to 
fight. Now they seemed to have 
the best of it. The bat ran away 
from the birds and joined them. 

“Oo away,” they said. “You™ 
are a bird. You are not a beast.” 

“ Oh, yes ! I am a beast,” said 
the bat. “Look at my feet. See 
my sharp teeth.” 

At last the birds and the beasts is 
made peace. But neither wished 
to own the cowardly bat. 

When he came among the birds, 
they said: “Oo away. You are a 
beast.” 2 o 

When he came among the beasts, 


96 


CLASSIC FABLES 


they said: “Go away. You are a 
bird.” 

So he flew away to hide. 

To this day the bat hides in dark 
5 places. He flies about only at night 
when both birds and beasts are 
sleeping. 

53. The Man and the Lion 

A ia if went out hunting. All 
the beasts but the lion ran 
io away. 

“ I will fight,” said the lion. 

The man let fly an arrow. 

“ I send my messenger,” he said. 
“From him you may learn how 
is fearful I myself am.” 

The arrow stuck in the lion’s side 
and gave him great pain. He ran 
away as fast as he could. 

“ Oh ! ” cried a fox. “ Ho not run 


HOW THE FOX DIVIDED THE GAME 97 

away so soon. Stay till the man 
comes.” 

“ No, indeed ! ” said the lion. “If 
I suffer so from the messenger, how 
can I stand the coming of the man 5 
himself? ” 


54. How the Fox divided the Game 

The lion, the donkey, and the 
fox went hunting together. They 
took much game. When night 
came, they were all hungry. 10 

“Let us have our supper now,” 
said the lion. “The donkey may 
divide our game.” 

The donkey divided it into three 
equal parts. 15 

“ Take your choice,” said he. 

“ Donkey,” roared the lion, “ are 
you my equal that you should have 
as much as I ? ” 


98 


CLASSIC FABLES 


Then he fell upon the donkey and 
killed him. 

“Now,” said he to the fox, “do 
you divide our game.” 
e The fox divided it into two parts. 
In one he put all the game but a 
hare and a bird or two. These he 
laid on one side. 

“ Great king of beasts,” he said, 
10 “this large heap is yours. The 
small one is mine.” 

“ Ah, friend,” said the lion, “ how 
did you learn to divide so well ? ” 

“ How indeed ? ” said the fox. 
is “I learned it from the death of 
the donkey.” 


55. The Two Pots 

Two pots fell into the water. 
One was made of brass, the other 
was earthenware. 


THE LION’S SHARE 


The brass pot said: “Here we 
are in the river together. Let us 
be friends.” 

“ Ho, no ! ” said the earthen pot. 
“We are not equals, and only 6 
equals make good friends. Do 
you keep as far from me as you 
can. I will not come near you. 

I fear you as much as I do the 
river. If you touch me, I shall 10 
break.” 


56. The Lion’s Share 

A cow, a goat, a sheep, and a 
lion met and made friends. 

“ We will divide all our game,” 
they said. . 15 

Hot long after, the goat caught 
a stag in a net. He called in his 
friends, and asked the lion to 
divide it. 


L.ofC. 


100 


CLASSIC FABLES 


The lion said, “I will divide it 
into four equal parts.” 

“ That is but right,” said the 
others. 

6 So the lion divided the stag. 

Then he said, “ The first part is 
mine because I am the judge. The 
next part is mine because I am the 
bravest. The next part is mine 
10 because I am the strongest. As 
for the last part — I will kill any 
one who touches it.” 


57. The Wolf in the Sheep’s Skin 

A wolf caught and ate many 
sheep from a flock. At last the 
is sheep feared him so that they were 
always on the lookout. Try as he 
would, the wolf could not come 
near. 

What should he do to get his 


WOLF IN SHEEP’S SKIN 


101 


dinner ? He thought of this 
plan. 

He put over him the skin- of a 
sheep which he had killed. Thus 
dressed he drew near the flock. s 
The shepherd was sleeping. The 
flock thought the wolf was a stray 
sheep come to join it. 

u I will say baa like the sheep,” 
said the wolf to himself. 10 

He opened his mouth and tried 
to say “ baa, baa ! ” but instead he 
gave a howl. 

The sheep ran away and the 
shepherd started up. The wolf inis 
the sheep’s skin could not run fast. 
He was soon caught and killed. 

u Ah ! ” said the shepherd, “ it 
is hard to act a part and not over- 
act it.” 


20 


102 


CLASSIC FABLES 


58. The Oxen and the Axletrees 

A wagon was being pulled over 
a bad road by two oxen. The 
axletrees groaned and cried. 

“Why do you cry out so?” 
5 asked the oxen. “It is we who 
do the work. We, not you, have 
right to cry and groan.” 

59. The Fox and the Crow 

A crow found a piece of cheese. 
She flew into a tall tree and was 
io just beginning her feast. 

A hungry fox saw her and 
longed for the cheese. 

“ And I’ll have it, too, as sure as 
I am a fox,” he said, 
is He went under the tree and 
said : “ I saw a crow fly by here 
not long ago. She is indeed a 
beautiful bird. How broad are 




104 


CLASSIC FABLES 


her wings ! How bright are her 
eyes ! How fair are her feathers ! 

“But I have never heard her 
sing. Is she dumb, I wonder ? 
5 If she had a voice equal to her 
beauty, she would be the queen of 
birds.” 

The silly crow was pleased with 
all this praise. She wished to 
10 show that her voice was equal to 
her beauty. 

“ Caw, caw, caw ! ” she cried. 

When she opened her bill to say 
“caw,” — down dropped the cheese, 
is The sly fox snapped it up and 
walked away. 

“ My good crow,” he said, “ your 
voice may be all right, but your 
wits are wanting.” 


TWO MEN AND THE BEAR 


105 


60. Two Men and the Bear 

Two men once said that they 
would travel together and help 
each other. 

They had not gone far before 
they saw a great bear. 5 

One of the men said, u Together 
we can kill it.” 

But the other man ran and 
climbed a small tree. The first 
man had now no time to get away. 10 
What did he do ? 

Why, he fell upon his face. He 
lay still as if he were dead. It is 
said, that a bear will not eat a dead 
man. 15 

The great bear came up and 
smelled the man. But he lay quite 
still. So it left him and went 
away. 


106 


CLASSIC FABLES 


Then the other came down from 
the tree. 

“My friend,” he said, “the bear 
seemed to whisper in your ear. 
5 What did it say to you?” 

“ It gave me some good advice,” 
said the man. “It told me never 
to travel with one who leaves me 
when danger comes.” 

61. The Bee that wished a Sting 

io One summer a bee laid up some 
beautiful honey. The best of it 
all she carried to Jupiter. 

He was much pleased with it. 

“ Ask what you will,” he said to 
is the bee, “and you shall have your 
wish.” 

Hot long before a boy had robbed 
the bee of some honey. How she 
thought of this. 


THE CAT’S PAWS 


107 


“ Oh, Jupiter, great master,” she 
said, “give me a sting. Let its 
wound be fatal. Then neither man 
nor beast will rob me.” 

Jupiter was sorry to hear her 5 
make such a wish. 

“ I must keep my word,” he said. 
“So I will give you the sting for 
which you ask. Its wound shall 
be fatal — not to others, but to you. 10 
You shall be able to hurt any one 
who robs you. But you shall lose 
your life with your sting.” 

Is it not with men as with the 
bee? Ill will does most harm to 15 
him who acts from it. 

62. The Cat’s Paws 

A mojstkey and a cat lived in the 
same house. 

One day they were sitting beside 


108 


CLASSIC FABLES 


the tire. They saw some chestnuts 
put there to roast. 

“ Come,” said the sly monkey, 
“let us feast on these nuts. You 
5 are very clever, Mrs. Pussy. I am 
sure that you can get some out. 
Put in a paw and try.” 

The cat was pleased with his 
praise. She put her paw in the 
10 tire and pulled out a chestnut. 
But in doing so she was burned. 

“ W ell done ! well done ! ” cried 
the monkey. “ What tine paws 
you have ! They are just like 
is hands. I am sure you can get all 
the nuts. Then what a feast we 
shall have ! ” 

One by one, the cat pulled out 
the nuts, burning her paw each 
20 time. Then she turned to begin 
the feast. 


THE FRPGS AND THEIR KING 109 


But while she was getting them 
out of the fire, the monkey was 
eating. 

Pussy was just in time to see 
him eat the last nut. So she had e 
only her burned paws for her 
pains. 


63. The Frogs and their King 

Once there lived some frogs in 
a pond. They had a good home 
and all the food they wished. Butio 
they were not content. 

“ Oh, that we had a king ! ” they 
said. 

So they begged Jupiter to give 
them one. 15 

“Well, here is a king,” he said, 
“a good one for you.” And he 
threw them a log. 

Splish — splash ! came King Log. 



fcTHEFROGSDESIRINGAKING. 



THE FROGS AND THEIR KING 111 


The frogs ‘were frightened. They 
hid, some in the mud, some in the 
reeds. 

For a long time not one would 
even look out. But King Log lay s 
still. 

At last the frogs said, “He is 
sleeping.” 

One after one they came from 
their hiding places. They cameio 
near him. 

Then one jumped on his back 
and said, “ Oh ! This king is only 
a log.” 

So they went back to Jupiter. 

“ Give us a king that has life,” 
they said. 

Jupiter sent them an eel. It 
went in and out, and here and 
there. 

“But it is too small, and does 


20 


112 


CLASSIC FABLES 


not look like a king / 1 said the 
frogs. 

Again they went back to J upiter. 

“ Give us another king / 1 they 
6 said. “We wish one that can 
rule.” 

“Do you wish some one to rule 
you?” asked Jupiter. “That you 
shall have. How go. I have lis- 
wtened to you for the last time.” 

Then he sent a stork to the 
pond. 

“How great he is!” said the 
frogs. “How tall! This is a king 
is indeed ! ^ 

King Stork stood still a little 
while. Then he put his long bill 
down into the water. Up it came 
with a frog which he ate. Another 
20 and another he caught. 

The frogs tried in vain to get 


HERCULES AND THE LAZY MAN 113 


away. Go where they would, the 
stork came after them. Breakfast, 
dinner, and supper he ate frogs, 
till there was not one left in the 
pond. 6 

How much better it would have 
been had they been content ! 

64. Hercules and the Lazy Man 

A man - was once going in his 
wagon over a bad road. The 
wheels stuck fast in the mud. The 10 
horses came to a standstill. 

The man did not try at all to 
help himself. 

“ Hercules, great, strong Her- 
cules ! ” he called. “Please corner 
and help me.” 

But Hercules said : “ Lazy man ! 
Help yourself. Urge on your 
horses. Put your own shoulder 


114 


CLASSIC FABLES 


to the wheel. Never call on an- 
other to help you till you have done 
all you can for yourself.” 

65. The Maid and her Milk Pail 

There was once a milkmaid who 
6 worked all day with good will. 

“You have worked well,” said 
her master. “ You may have this 
great pail of milk for your own.” 

“ Thank you,” said the maid. 
io She set the pail upon her head 
and started to town. 

“ I will sell this milk,” she said 
to herself, “and get some more eggs. 
I shall then have two hundred, 
is “ These eggs will hatch out 
many chickens. I will feed my 
chickens well and sell them. They 
will bring enough to get me a new 
dress. 


THE MAN AND THE SATYR 115 

u What color shall it be ? Let 
me see. Blue ? No ! Every milk- 
maid in the country has a blue 
ch *ess. Green it shall be, and silk 
at that. How fine I shall look ins 
it ! 

u I shall be too fine to speak to 
the other maids here. When they 
come near, I will not look at them. 

I will just toss my head, — so.” 10 

She gave her head a toss. Down 
came the milk pail. With her 
milk all her fine plans came to the 
ground. 

66 The Man and the Satyr 

A man - and a satyr were once is 
traveling together. A satyr, let 
me tell you, is said to live in the 
woods and to be as much like a 
beast as a man. 


J 


116 


CLASSIC FABLES 


As they walked on together, the 
man put his hand to his month and 
blew on it. 

“Why do you do that?” asked 
5 the satyr. 

“ I blow on my hand to warm it,” 
said the man. 

On they went through the woods. 
After a while they stopped to get 
10 dinner. The man spilled some hot 
soup and burned his hand; He 
put it to his mouth and blew on it. 

“ Why are you doing that ? ” 
asked the satyr. 

is “ I burned my hand. I am blow- 
ing on it to cool it,” said the man. 

“ Oh, oh ! ” said the satyr. “ I 
must leave you. We cannot be 
friends any longer. I cannot trust 
20 one who with the same breath 
blows cold and hot” 


MILLER, SON, AND DONKEY 


117 


67. The Miller, his Son, and their Donkey 

A miller and his son one day 
started to town. They drove be- 
fore them their donkey which they 
wished to sell. A little way down 
the road they met some girls. 

“ Look ! ” cried one of them. 
“ Did you ever see such silly men 
as those ? They go on foot be- 
hind the donkey. I would ride. 
Wouldn’t you?” 

The old man heard the words. 

“Giet on the donkey and ride,” 
he said to his son. 

The boy got on and rode while 
his father walked. 

Soon they came to some old 
men. 

“ See there ! ” said one of them. 
“It is just as I was saying. No 


118 


CLASSIC FABLES 


one shows respect to the old these 
days. See that boy riding while 
his poor old father walks. Get 
down, you bad boy! Let your 
5 father ride.” 

The old man helped his son to 
the ground. He himself got upon 
the donkey and rode. Behind him 
walked his son. 

10 They had not gone far when they 
saw some women at a well. 

“Yon lazy old man,” cried two 
or three at once. “ Do you ride 
and make that poor little boy walk ? 
is Why, he can hardly keep np with 
you.” 

“Then he, too, shall ride,” said 
the good-natured miller. 

He took his son up behind him 
20 on the donkey. They were now 
near town. 


MILLER, SON, AND DONKEY 


119 


“Friend,” said a man, “is that 
donkey your own?” 

“ Oh, yes,” said the miller, 

“ One would not think so from 
the way you do,” said the man. 6 
“ Why, you two are better able to 
carry the little beast than he you.” 

“We will please you if we can,” 
said the miller. 

He and his son got off the don-10 
key. They tied its legs together 
and hung it on a pole. So they 
tried to carry it across the bridge 
that led to town. 

The donkey did not like this wayie 
of being carried. It tried to free 
itself. At last it broke the pole. 
Down it fell into the river and was 
drowned. 

The miller and his son turned 20 
back and went home. 


120 


CLASSIC FABLES 


“See, my son,” said the miller. 
“We tried to please every one, 
and we pleased no one. And be- 
sides we lost our donkey.” 


WORD LIST 


The four hundred common words included in this list are 
assumed to be known to the child who begins to read this book. 
The teacher will find this list useful for review and drill. 
It does not include regularly formed plurals, nor the past 
tenses and progressive forms of regular verbs. 


a 

a§ 

bend 

but 

cut 

a'ble 

ask 

bent 

by 

day 

a bout' 

at 

best 

call 

dear 

a cross' 

ate 

bet'ter 

came 

deep 

aft'er 

away' 

big 

can 

did 

a gain 

back 

bill 

car'ry 

dp 

(a g6n') 

bad 

bird 

cat 

doe§ 

a gainst 

be 

bite 

catch 

dog 

(a gSnst') 

beat 

blew (blu) 

caught 

done 

air 

beau'ti ful 

blow 

claw 

door 

all 

be come' 

blue 

cloud 

down 

al'most 

bee 

both 

cold 

dress 

am 

been (bln) 

box 

col'or 

drink 

a inong' 

be fore' 

boy 

come 

drop 

an 

beg 

bread 

cool 

each 

and 

be gan' 

break 

corn 

earth 

an oth'er 

be gin' 

bright 

could 

eat 

an y (Sn'y) 

be hind' 

bring 

cow 

Sgg 

an y thing 

be lieve' 

broke 

creep 

end 

(en'y thing) 

bell 

broth'er 

cross 

ev'er 

are 

be low' 

brought 

121 

cry 

ev'er y 


122 

WORD LIST 


eye © 

gone 

his 

light 

near 

fail 

good 

hold 

like 

neck 

fall 

gSt 

home 

list'en 

nest 

far 

grass 

horse 

lit'tle 

nev'er 

fath'er 

great 

house 

live 

next 

fast 

green 

how 

long 

night 

fear 

grew (gru) 

hun'gry 

look 

no 

feel 

ground 

hurt 

lost 

none 

fell 

grow 

I 

loud 

nor 

field 

had 

if 

love 

north 

find 

hand 

ill 

low 

not 

fine 

hap'py 

in 

made 

noth'mg 

fire 

hard 

in'side 

make 

now 

first 

harm 

in'to 

man 

of (ov) 

flew (flu) 

ha§ 


man y 

off 

flow'er 

hat 

it 

(men'y) 

oh 

fl y 

have 

jump 

may 

old 

food 

hay 

just 

me 

on 

for 

he 

keep 

meet 

once (wans) 

found 

head 

kind 

men 

one (wan) 

free 

hear 

knock 

met 

only 

friend 

heard 

know 

milk 

o'pen 

from 

heart 

land 

miss 

A 

or 

full 

heat 

large 

more 

otlTer 

fun 

held 

last 

morn'ing 

our 

gave 

help 

laugh 

moth'er 

out 

get 

her 

lay 

Mr. 

o'ver 

girl 

here 

leaf 

Mrs. 

own 

give 

hide 

learn 

much 

paw 

glad 

high 

leave 

must 

play 

go 

him 

let 

my 

pleas'ant 


WORD LIST 


123 


please 

send 

sun'shlne time 

went 

poor 

shall 

sure(shur) to 

were 

pret ty 

sharp 

sweet 

to-day' 

what 

(prlt'ty) s he 

swim 

to geth'er 

when 

put 

sheep 

take 

to-night' 

where 

ran 

shine 

talk 

too 

which 

reach 

should 

tall 

took 

while 

red 

show 

teach 

tree 

white 

rest 

sick 

teeth 

true 

who 

ride 

sing 

tell 

try 

why 

ripe 

sit 

than 

turn 

will 

rise 

sleep 

thank 

two 

wind 

rode 

slow 

that 

un'der 

wing 

root 

small 

the 

up 

wm'ter 

rose 

so 

their 

up on' 

wish 

rough 

soft 

them 

us 

with 

(ruf) 

some 

then 

use 

with out' 

round 

something there 

ver'y 

won'der 

run 

some'tIme§ these 

voige 

woods 

safe 

son 

they 

wake 

word 

said (sfid) 

soon 

thing 

walk 

(wurd) 

sang 

spring 

think 

want 

work 

sat 

stay 

tills 

warm 

(wurk) 

save 

still 

tho§e 

was 

would 

saw 

stone 

thought 

watch 

year 

say 

stood 

three 

wa'ter 

yes 

see 

strong 

threw 

way 

you 

seen 

such 

(thru) 

we 

young 

self 

sum'mer 

throw 

weak 

your 

selve^ 

sun 

till 

well 



FABLE WORD LIST 


This list includes all words in the fables, except those 
contained in the Word List on pages 121-123. 


i. strdng'er 
life 
cloak 
quar'rel 
gen'tle 

3. cane 
med'i gme 
doc'tor 
likely 

3. pond 
croak 
frog 
killed 
death 

4. blind 
road 
lame 
hob'ble 
town 

s. cock 
grain 
pearl 


worth 

(wurth) 

6 . mige 
holes 
plan 
mouse 
hang 

7. drowned 
dove 
aim 

dan'ger 

buzz 

stung 

». man'ger 
snarl 
ox 

bow-wow 

selfish 

9. wobd'peck er 
pea'cock 
vain 
•featb'er 

124 


10. grass'hop per 
ant 

dange 

passed 

spare 

11. fox 
vine 
grape 
sour 
greed'y 

12. net 
riv'er 
fish 
wise 

1 3 . hunfer 
hunt 
hiin'dred 
trick 
pussy 

1 4 . li'on 
den 
beast 


FABLE WORD LIST 


125 


roar 

rope 

is. sup'per 
piege 
mouth 

look'mg glass 
snapped 

1 6 . care 
wolf 
lamb 
often 
truth 

1 7 . kid 

a buse' 
sil'ly 

is. treas'ure 
(trgzh) 

vine'yard 

gold 

spade 

plow 

1 9 . strayed 
mu'§ic 
tune 
din'ner 
stopped 

20. hare 
mas'ter 
prize 


21. brook 
mind 
ex cuse' 
mud'dy 
spoke 

22. hung 

P s g 

flour 

bag 

dead 

trust 

23 . han'dle 

ax 

ash 

rights 

24. led 
game 
pow'er 
sake 

25 . king 
path 

frighfened 

fear'ful 

world 

(wurld) 

26. won'der ful 
goose 

laid 

gold'en 


rich 

27. long'er 
ah 
foot 
print 
feet 

28. lark 
wheat 
larg'er 
chirped 
farm'er 
cou§'in§ 

29. same 
dried 
leap 
plage 

3 0. goat 
wall 
drank 
climbed 
left 

3 1. crow 
thirst'y 
pitch'er 
caw 
wits 

32. oak 
branch'^ 
reed§ 


126 


FABLE WORD LIST 


storm 

straight 

33. set 
feast 
ta'ble 
cheese 
pea^e 

34. trap 
seemed 
tail 

through 

sly 

35. fir 
bram'ble 
con tent' 

36 . jack'daw 
stuck 
pulled 
drove 
neither 

37. tor'toise' 
mine 
ea'gle 
broad 

be longed' 

38 . plod'dmg 
rage 
judge 
start 


wm 

steady 

39. don'key 
feed 
dew (du) 
hun'ger 

40. sev'en 
sticks 
tied 
bun'dle 
un tie' 

41. crab 
side 

for'ward 

42. crane 
stork 
thieve^ 
die 

43. top 
rock 
stand 

e nough' 
(naf) 

44. bone 
throat 
pain 
howl 
pay 

45. breath 


ease 

swelled 

burst 

46 . rude 
soup 
served 
shallow 
dish 

47. drones 
lazy 
wasp 

be tween' 
size 

48 . stag 
lake 
horns 
beau'ty 
ug'ly 

49. gourd 
fruit 
fast'er 
frost 

so. rav'en 
swan 
wash'e§ 
be side' 
hardly 

si. shot 
ar'row 


FABLE WORD LIST 


127 


wound'ed 

act 

splish splash 

double 

ss. fair 

hid 

53. cow'ard 1 y 

dumb 

eel 

bat 

queen 

rule 

fight 

praise 

break fast 

part 

59 . Ju'pi ter 

64 . wheel 

join 

rob 

mud 

dark 

stmg 

Her'cu le§ 

53 . mes'sen ger 

fa'tal 

flrge 

in deed' 

sor'ry 

shoul'der 

suffer 

eo. mon'key 

65. maid 

54. di vide' 

chest'nuts 

pail 

e'qual 

roast 

sell 

choice 

nut 

hatch 

heap 

clev'er 

silk 

55. pot 

burn 

toss 

brass 

ei. wag'on 

66 . sa'tyr 

earth'en ware 

bx'en 

spilled 

touch 

ax'le tree 

hot 

se. share 

groan 

67 . mill'er 

be cause' 

63 . trav'el 

re spect' 

* brav'est 

fage 

women 

strongest 

smell 

(wlm) 

57. flock 

whis'per 

good nat'ured 

skm 

ad vlge' 

pole 

shep'herd 

63. 15 g 

bridge 


baa 

































































I 











JAN IS 1904 





















































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